Eleventh lactation!!!

[willow_girl]

A Holstein cow on the farm w just entered her 11th lactation, having delivered a healthy calf last week.

She's doing pretty good, too! Won't know exactly how much milk she's making for awhile, as the tester was just here last week.

I believe her longevity is a testament to the good care the farm owners give their cows. I am privileged to work there.

[mayfair]

That's awesome . We had a cow on our farm growing up who was milking at age 20. I'm not sure how long she milked after that because I left home. My own cow I raised milked for at least ten lactations- she made it to 14-- and she had three sets of twins. Only one pair was heifers, though.

[willow_girl]

3 sets of twins??? Wow!
Twins takes a lot out of a cow.
I'm not sure how old this girl is, but Don (owner) says she's always bred back right on time, pretty much had a calf every year, so prolly around 13.
Her bag is HUGE .... LOL

[michiganfarmer]

We had one like that. #5. She was a large bodied cow. IM guessing she weighed at least 1600. I think a large body helps with longevity. She was one of the first we got, around 1975, and she was on the last truck out when dad quit in '86. Always bred right back. Always cleaned right away after birthing. Always cleaned her calf. Always produced upwards of 65-70 lbs. A very quiet cow. Of all the animals that came and went, she was the closest to a pet that we had. She was in the stanchion closest to the door so everyone who visted petted her, and fed her. She always got lots of attention, and would walk up to us if she was outside.

[willow_girl]

She sounds like a nice cow.

This girl, #288, isn't crazy about people. I can tell she's a smart cow, though! She is very careful about how and where she places her feet. I have noticed most cows who live a long time are that way. A more flighty cow will scramble around, slip and injure herself -- pretty soon she'll have F&L problems and be on her way out. Not this girl, though!

Hey Max, did you get Libby bred back? How's her calf doing?!

[michiganfarmer]

We just dehorned the calf a couple weeks ago. It is around 500 lb, and doing well. Very friendly, and nice body condition. It is going in the freezer next fall. Libby is bred back. We are gonna dry her up near the first of Dec. Her production is down to 2 gallons per day.

I sure am happy with her Judy. I am very thankfull that you let me have her for the price that you did. She is a wonderfull family milk cow! SHe is quiet, friendly, nice milk production, no mastitis. I intend to keep her for many years.

Thank you.

[willow_girl]

I'm just glad everything has turned out so well!

It made me sad to sell Libby, but I have so little useable land here, and my bigger Holstein girls were always pushing her around. She didn't like that one bit, and would sneak out every chance she could! And she is a smart cow, and I have a bad habit of forgetting to latch the gate or turn the electric fence back on ... LOL! Not living on the property here, I was afraid I'd end up having problems with my neighbors if she turned up on people's decks or in their garages.

So I'm glad she has settled in there and has been a profitable cow for you.

[samih dabbas]

good luck girl